Cellular individuality and cell sociological phenomena are thought to depend in part on the carbohydrate labels of cellular membranes. Existing information suggests that glycosphingolipid patterns contribute to cellular specificity. The comparative analysis of tissues deficient in specific cell types should provide data on the composition of the missing cells. The availability of several neurological mouse mutants which exhibit specific morphological defects provide a unique opportunity to obtain information concerning the chemical composition of individual neuronal cell types. The objectives of this research will be to document glycosphingolipid patterns of individual cellular elements of the cerebellum. Characterization and quantitation of brain and cerebellar glycosphingolipids from mouse mutants nervous (nv), staggerer (sg) and weaver (wv) will be undertaken as a function of age in an attempt to correlate morphological and biochemical changes. When available, human pathological tissue involving specific cellular degeneration of the cerebellum will also be analyzed. Methodology suitable for the analysis and characterization of microquantities of glycosphingolipids will be developed. Isotope derivative procedures for the assay of glycosphingolipids as their radiolabeled acetyl and/or benzoyl derivatives and high pressure chromatography of the benzoyl derivatives will be utilized to establish microanalytical and preparative methods. Such procedures will not only allow the practical analysis of small quantities of cerebellar tissue but should have wide application for glycosphingolipid studies of normal and pathological tissue in research of basic and clinical interest.